Of Numbness, Ducks, & Bedtime Stories
by threeredcardinals
Summary: Battling between reminiscing the past & living for the future, Draco turns to all he has left.


**One shot. Please review & enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. (:**

The little girl stood on a chair, one chubby hand and a round cheek plastered to the cold glass, her breath fogging the pane. With her other hand, she drew twirling patterns on the window. She was halfway through making a flower when movement outside caught her attention.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look, ducks!" She pressed her whole face to the window. Sure enough, a small flock of ducks were circling the manor's pond, settling in for the night. "Why are there duckies, Daddy?"

Draco glanced up from the piece of parchment on his desk. With a sigh, he stood and stretched, leaving his desk for the first time in several hours.

"What ducks, Tori?"

"Those duckies!" The little girl's whole body was now pressed against the window, the chair swaying precariously. Draco scooped her from the tilting chair and placed her on his waist.

"How many ducks are there?"

The small girl's brow furrowed as she squinted through the dusk. "One. . .five. . .three. . .six ducks!"

Draco laughed, a hollow sort of sound. He ran his fingers through her strawberry blonde ringlets and she snuggled into his chest.

"I like duckies, Daddy." Her voice was soft. "Like in the bedtime story Mommy used to read to me."

Draco's hand momentarily froze in the action of smoothing her hair. "What story, Victoria?"

The change in his voice and the use of her full name did not go undetected by the perceptive four year-old. "The one Mommy used to read me. From the book Aunt Hermione gave me."

"And when did Mommy used to read this book?"

"Before I went to sleep."

"Oh really?" Draco shifted Tori to his other side. "I thought little girls were supposed to go to bed right away."

"They are." Tori straightened importantly. "But Mommy said that I wasn't a _little_girl anymore. I'm a big girl and can have bedtime stories." She shrank slightly. "But I haven't had any since—"

Draco sensed the direction of the conversation and swerved. "How many ducks did you count, Tori?"

"Six, Daddy, but—"

"And do you know why they're at the pond right now?"

Her curiosity got the best of her. "Why, Daddy?"

"Because winter's coming."

"But why—"

"Ducks don't like the cold, so they fly to the south. Do you know why?"

"Because they like to go on vacation, like Uncle Blaise?"

Draco cracked a smile. "Sort of. It's warmer there."

"So they stay there 'cause it's more comfy?"

Draco chuckled. "Something like that."

"Then why are they at _my_pond? It's still cold here."

"Oh, they're just taking a stop. They'll probably be gone in the morning."

Tori pouted. "I want a duckie, Daddy."

Draco raised an eyebrow, but considered. "We'll see."

"Really, Daddy?" Tori's voice rose several octaves.

"I said we'll see."

"Daddy, I can't see the duckies anymore."

Sure enough, the sky had darkened, the glow of the moon glistening off of the pond's surface. "They went to bed. And I think it's time for little girls named Victoria to do the same."

"But Daddy, I'm a _big_girl now."

Draco brought his palm to his forehead. "Ah, I'm sorry, I forgot."

"Does that mean I can have ten more minutes?"

"How about five?"

Tori sniffed. "Fine. Five."

Draco smiled and placed her down gently. "Or, you can go to bed now, and I'll tell you a bedtime story."

Tori's face lit up. "About ducks?"

"Sure."

Grinning from ear to ear, Tori made a mad dash down the hall to her bedroom. Draco heard the door swing open and slam against the opposite wall, and then the antique bureau groan as its drawers were ripped open in a an apparently desperate search for a nightgown. Sighing, Draco collapsed into a chair, rubbing his temple with one hand. Ducks. _Ducks._ How could it be that every single little thing was traceable back to her? She had been gone for six months, and all that Draco could feel was a tingling numbness that ensconced him all day, nightmares haunting him at night. His other half would never come back. Somehow he had not wrapped his mind around this, but he was just waiting for the morning that he would wake and realize her side of the bed would be eternally cold, her chair at the dining table forever empty.

Draco stood and shook it off. He couldn't risk anyone seeing him like this, torn apart, shredded, tossed into the wind. Time would heal his wounds, he was sure. But until then? Tori was the only reason he lived, only reason he breathed. She was his saving grace, a little angel, in the form of his only daughter. Surprisingly, her family had been extremely supportive of him, even though he knew the loss had been just as painful for them. In fact, he had even developed a sort of mutual neutral hatred with her youngest eldest brother, overriding whatever rivalries used to exist. And her mother—bless that wonderful woman—still brought him and Tori home-cooked food that was far better than anything his house-elves made; Tori adored her. And of course, Blaise had been supportive in his own special ways.

"I'm ready, Daddy!" Tori chirped from the doorway. Draco turned and stood rather slowly. "Daddy?"

Draco's eyes snapped up. "Coming, dear." Tori didn't understand. She may never even remember her mother—no, Draco wouldn't let that happen. He'd make sure she knew how kind and loving and—he had to tuck Tori in. Right.

Tori grasped his hand in her little, chubby one, tugging him along after her. She clambered into bed, wrapping the hem of her nightgown around her toes. "Tell me the story."

Draco seated himself rather awkwardly on the edge of the bed. "Well, once, there was a duck, and his name was—"

"Priscilla." Tori said immediately.

"Priscilla?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Yep," Tori said happily. "When I get my duck, I'm going to name it Priscilla."

"Even if it's a boy?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "Duh, Daddy."

Draco chuckled. "Anyway, this duck—"

"Priscilla!"

"—yes, Priscilla, he was rather lonely."

Tori pulled her blanket up to her chin. "Why was he lonely?"

Draco considered this question. "His best friend had to go away. So now, er, Priscilla was all alone."

"Poor Priscilla."

"He had other friends, too, but none quite as close to him as the one that had to leave."

"What was the other duck's name, Daddy?"

"Her name was—" Draco blanched momentarily. "Her name was, uh, Jenny."

"That's a nice name."

"Mhmm. Anyway, after Jenny had to go away, Priscilla's other friends tried to make him happy again, but nothing worked. They tried swimming in the pond and flying through the sky, but Priscilla just wouldn't cheer up."

"Priscilla must have been very sad."

"Indeed. And one day, Priscilla was swimming the pond all by himself, feeling lonely and sorry for himself, when suddenly out of nowhere there was a _pop!__" _Draco poked Tori's tummy, tickling her. She giggled and wrapped herself tighter in the blanket. "And suddenly, Priscilla realized he wasn't alone anymore!"

Tori's eyes grew wide. "Who was there, Daddy?"

"A tiny little white duck, all covered in fluff."

"Was her name Tori, too?"

Draco smiled. "Of course." Tori let out a squeal of delight. "And you know what Tori did?"

"What, Daddy, what?"

"She swam right on over to Priscilla and asked why he was so grumpy. And Priscilla said it was because he didn't have any reason to be happy, because his friend had gone away. But Tori, being the clever little duck she was, told Priscilla to be happy, because he now had a new friend that could play and swim and fly with him."

"Tori!"

"Exactly. And Priscilla and Tori lived happily ever after."

"I like it when stories end like that, Daddy."

"Me too." Draco ignored the burning feeling in his chest, the whisper running through his mind telling him to reprimand his daughter, make sure that she knew that life wasn't just a bundle of "happily ever afters". But she was young, there was still time.

"Alright, sleepy head. Time for you to get some rest." Draco kissed her on the forehead, smoothing her hair out of her face.

"Thank you for telling me a story like Mommy used to." Tori's voice was soft as she peered up at him.

Draco managed a smile as he stood, walking to the door. With a swish of his wand, the lights went out, and Draco had the door half-closed when the whisper reached his ears. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Victoria Ginevra Malfoy."

**~x~**

"Quack!" The duck glared up at him, its eyes glittering and wings half-open, as if threatening to fly away. Draco walked towards it slowly, his hand reaching for the wand in his pocket. Just a little further, and he'd be able to magic the stupid thing back into its pen. Why they kept escaping, Draco had no idea—but the two ducks managed to do it at least once a week. He had his wand arm half-raised when the cry cut the silence.

"Daddy! I told you they don't like it when you put spells on them!" A now six year-old Tori came running out of the house, dashing in front of her, scooping the duck into her arms. It looked at him haughtily before pressing its head against the girl's chest.

"I'm sorry, Tori, but they won't let me catch them."

"Then tell me. They always come for me—right, Jenny?" Tori bounced the duck in her arms, and it quacked loudly. Tori looked back to her father. "Did you already catch Priscilla?"

"Yes." Draco ran a hand through his hair. "He's already back in the pen."

"Okay. I'll go put Jenny away, too." Tori began walking away, but paused midstep. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Victoria?"

"Jenny says bye." Tori picked up the duck's wing and waved it like a person's hand. Draco gave a half-smile.

"Bye, Jenny." He watched his daughter make her way over to the pond, a smile on his face. Despite his complaining about the ducks, he knew he'd never regret buying them—the happiness they gave Tori was incredible. And when she was happy, so was he—the kind of happy that broke through the numbness that no longer bothered him quite as badly as it used to.

**Please review! & it would be great if you could review before favoriting! (:**


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